A Kiss for Luck
by NovemberNite
Summary: DG is worried that something she said might jinx Glitch's chances for a successful brain reinsertion. There is only one solution that presents itself, but will it work? Glitch/DG.
1. Prologue

_A/N: This is my first attempt at writing again in a very long time and I do not have a beta for this story yet, so please go easy on me. But don't go too easy. I sincerely appreciate any input and thoughts that might improve this story, and I simply enjoy reading what people think. That said, I do not own any of the characters or base storyline from Tin Man or the Wizard of Oz. _

**Prologue**

She stared at her friend intently, her large blue eyes filling with tears. The following day would mark one week since the defeat of the evil that possessed her sister and everyone was anxious to move on with their happy ending. DG never quite had the wide eyed optimism of Glitch but at the moment pessimism to rival Cain's resided in her heart. Perhaps it came from her time on the other side where happy endings were only in the movies, but she worried about Glitch's decision to unite with the other half of his brain. After all, happy endings seemed to be a thing of the past even in the O.Z.

And yet, it had worked out well before. In the past week, when she wasn't working with her mother and sister to repair the damage evil had poured on the land, she could be found in the long neglected library of her sister's castle. The library was testimony that the evil witch inside of her sister did not hold full sway, for as much as she tried to erase the O.Z.'s history for the people, the books and Tri-Dimensional Holographic Image Files were kept in perfect order within the cold vault-like room.

Azka-d felt that the witch did certain things, made certain concessions, to make it easier to inhabit her body. It would explain why their mother was kept alive and why the O.Z.'s history had not been completely wiped out. In the past week, DG had learned nearly everything there was to know about her namesake, Dorothy Gale. A shudder ran down her spine at the similarities between Dorothy's quest and her own, and as she thought about it she was filled with a small amount of comfort that history would repeat itself for her friend. After all, the magic in the O.Z. was powerful enough that, once upon a time, a scarecrow could walk, talk, and think well enough to rival any scholar.

She sniffed and quickly wiped her streaming eyes on the sleeve of her jacket. "Glitch, are you sure that you want to go through with this?"

"Oh, I'm sure alright!" He grinned with boyish excitement before confusion clouded his expression. "Why? Do you think I shouldn't be?"

Putting on a brave front, DG smiled and stepped into his arms for what she hoped wasn't going to be their last hug. "I think you should stop second guessing yourself. "

"Oh," he said softly, voice still uncertain, "then yes. I'm absolutely sure that I want to go through with this."

Her arms tightened around his waist as she hid her face against his chest, unable to control her tears. "Just promise me that you'll come back to us, Glitch. Promise me!"

"_Promise me that you'll come back, my Ambrose!" DG clutched his pants leg in childish desperation. "Promise me! I've lost Az; I don't want to lose you, too."_

"_I'm simply going to Finaqua on an errand for the Queen, Princess." His reply was short and anyone other than DG would have thought it sounded annoyed, but she knew it was because he was distracted and there was only one reason why._

"_You're going to find out what happened to Az!" she cried. Her voice was certain and he looked down at her in alarm. It never ceased to amaze him that this child knew him better than anyone alive except, perhaps, for the Queen herself. "Don't go, my Ambrose. Please. If you go, I don't think I'll ever see you again."_

"_I'll return as soon as I can," he smiled gently, kneeling and gathering her into his arms. "I promise, DG."_

"I promise, DG."

She pulled away from him slightly and turned to their furry companion. "You help make sure he comes back to me, Raw."

"Raw do his best," came the slow, honest reply. It was all DG expected to hear until he added, "Raw do his best to heal Glitch's mind… heal DG's heart."

Glitch eyebrows raised in panic. "What's wrong with her heart?"

"It's breaking." He replied sadly.

"Do you not want me to do this?" The panic spread to his voice and he tried to step back, but she wrapped her fingers tighter around his vest. Shaking his head, he wrapped his fingers around hers and neither one of them could tell if he was clinging to her or trying to pry her off. "If you don't want me to, I won't."

She dared a glance at his face, ashamed at herself for being responsible for the look there. It was a mixture of bravery and intense disappointment. As much as she worried about the safety of her friend, she knew that he couldn't be denied this. He needed it more than she needed him.

"No, Glitch." She smiled at him through her tears. "I'm just worried. I made you promise to come back once, a long time ago, and it didn't turn out so well. I can't stop thinking about it. I'm scared that something bad will happen now just because I made you promise. I'm worried that I jinxed it."

"Well that's just silly," he assured, brightly. "You're never scared of anything!"

"Yes, I am," she disagreed. "But I never let my fear stop us from what needed to be done, and I'm not going to start now."

Looking up at him, she willed her tears to dry, willed him to see the truth in her words but doubt once again furrowed his brow.

He whispered very quietly. "What if you did jinx it?"

DG's reaction to that question was one that she didn't even expect. She grabbed his vest tighter and jerked him down a few inches as she went up on her toes to press her lips to his. It was a shocking thing to do, and she fully expected him to react with shock. More shocking still was when he did not. His eyes slid closed and his fingers tightened around hers, unmistakably holding them close to his heart.

Raw quietly watched the scene before him, nodding to himself in understanding.

DG pulled away with a bright smile on her lips. "There! The jinx is fixed."

"Huh?"Glitch blinked and touched a finger to his lips.

"I fixed the jinx," she said brightly, "with a kiss for luck. It was the only way."

"The only way, huh?" He seemed to have trouble focusing.

"Yep," she patted his back and turned him toward the door leading to the operating room. "I'll see you soon."

He nodded as Raw stepped forward and led him away.

"Yea," he murmured. "See ya soon."


	2. Chaos and Counterparts

_A/N: I hope that I do alright with my explanations throughout this story. If it gets too confusing, just leave a review and I will do my best to clarify. The next few chapters are going to be a journey through Ambrose's memories, so I may have a few timeline issues. I've also filled in a few gaps that screamed at me to add something. As always, the usual disclaimers apply. I do not own Tin Man, the characters, or even the plot bunnies that whisper in my ear constantly to feed them._

**Chapter 1**

Darkness.

He was surrounded by it; consumed by it.

His thoughts were a jumbled mass of confusion.

How long had he been there, floating in a vast nothingness? Was he dead? No, he couldn't be dead. He was still breathing. Taking a deep breath, he tried to evaluate his surroundings, but there was nothing to evaluate. He was a consciousness floating in a void. He had an idle thought that maybe he was in chaos… the type of emptiness from which the universe sprang forth.

It could have been moments, days, or annuals but the sound of a voice breaking through that emptiness was a relief beyond measure. It belonged to a young child, female. It was heartbreakingly familiar.

"_Ambrose," she called, sounding out of breath._

Who or what was 'Ambrose'? That word sounded as familiar as the voice.

A world materialized around him. It was a laboratory and a young man was standing at a long worktable with a large blueprint in front of him. There was a red double door across from the table and through it, a girl of around thirteen annuals burst through. She turned and looked behind her before stopping and self consciously smoothing her skirt.

"_May I hide in here, Ambrose?"_

_The man at the table looked up with an irritated expression on his face. "Can you not see that I am working, Princess?"_

_The girl raised dark eyebrows and placed a slender hand on her hip in annoyance. She spoke with a proper tone that spoke of high breeding, marked only by a slight lisp that age would undoubtedly correct. "It must be important that you would call me 'Princess'. You only do that in front of Mother's guests… or if I'm in trouble. Am I in trouble? If I am, I'm going to get DG. She's always getting me into…"_

At that point, another girl burst into the room with the most startling blue eyes the silent observer had ever seen. She couldn't have reached past nine annuals, but those eyes shone with an intelligence far beyond her age. The name DG stirred a tender feeling in the heart of their observer and a deep sadness that almost made him wish for the nothingness to return.

"_Oh, Az," the child cried, "that was too easy."_

"_It's Ambrose's fault, Deej," Az pouted. "He was too busy getting snarky about me interrupting his precious work to help me find a good hiding spot."_

The man the girls called Ambrose took a deep breath, obviously trying to compose himself. He still wore a sour expression and his observer wasn't too sure he liked the young man very much.

"_That's because what I am working on is of the utmost importance," he sighed through gritted teeth._

_The youngest child wrapped her arms around his leg and looked up. "You work too much, my Ambrose."_

_The annoyed expression was immediately replaced by one of shocked incredulity. He looked down at the girl and shook his head. _

"_I do not," he argued, halfheartedly. "This is actually what I do for fun."_

"_You must have been having loads of fun," DG frowned with a look on her pretty young face that would have curdled milk, "because you missed our dance lesson an hour ago. Az tried to teach me, but she doesn't know how to lead and almost broke my toe!"_

"_Did not," Az stuck her tongue out at her sister who responded in kind._

_Guilt settled on Ambrose's face immediately and he knelt, holding both arms out for the children in front of him. The both stepped into his embrace with immediate forgiveness. "I'm so sorry..."_

"_That's alright, my Ambrose," DG smiled happily, climbing onto his bent knee. She tapped a finger lightly on his forehead. "There must be something… how do you say it… bogglin' your noggin'? It's the only time you get stressed when working on your doohickeys, thingamajigs, and whatchamacallits."_

"_Whatchamacallit is your word," he tapped her nose._

"_That's only because I can never remember the long lines of letters that you name your inventions!"_

"_We're digressing," he lifted her off his knee and placed a finger beneath each girl's chin to make sure they were both paying attention to him. "Nothing should make me take my stresses out on my Princesses. But you are right, DG. My irritation sprang from not being able to figure out a sufficient conductor for the power source that operates the Sun Seeder."_

"_Sounds like you need a break," Az nodded wisely. _

"_No," he stood and glared at the blueprint as though his very gaze would make it spontaneously combust. "I've been at this all day and I'm certain the answer is just a flick of the abacus away."_

"_Az is right," DG tugged on the tails of his frock coat. "Toto says…"_

"_Tudor," Ambrose and Az corrected together._

"_Whatever," she continued with an annoyed glance at them both. "Anyway, he says when I'm concentrating too hard on my magic that I need to take a break and come back to it. He says magic should come naturally and if I overthink it, it's harder."_

The scene's observer watched as the girls each grabbed a hand and tugged the man through the double doors. When they were gone, he turned to observe the rest of the laboratory and his eyes immediately fell on a mirror to his right. The face staring at him was the same as the one possessed by the man recently pulled from the room, only it was a little older and the years had not been kind judging by the dark circles under the eyes and lines of worry on the brow. He ran a finger under his eye and the reflection in the mirror did the same.

It wasn't a major conclusion to reach. It seemed obvious that his life was apparently flashing before his eyes and he was cursed to watch the events with no recall of their occurrence. He observed his reflection more closely, fascinated that he was Ambrose. Another marked difference he noticed was the dark, unruly hair separated by a zipper running down the center of the skull. Quickly, he reached up to his own head and found no trace of a zipper.

Panic started to set in as random thoughts dashed across his mind followed by brief flickers of images. He felt the realization of his situation crashing down on him like a landslide and the laboratory spun wildly around him with the image of his zipperheaded self staring at him in amused curiosity. He remembered one thing very clearly. She had taken his brain.

But that didn't make any sense. Who would take his brain?

"Azkadelia," the image in the mirror replied.

Was that Az, the child from the vision?

The mirror replied once more to his unspoken thought, "Not a vision, a memory."

Why was he talking to his reflection?

"Because," the reflection smiled ruefully before stepping through the mirror and into the lab. "Two halves of your brain have been leading separate lives and now they are trying to reconcile each other."

"Who are you?" It was a stupid thing to ask. He knew it. He hated asking stupid questions, but his mind was trying to tell him something and if he couldn't ask himself stupid questions, who could he ask? "I mean, obviously we're the same person…"

"Not exactly, Mr. Brainy. I'm what you became after Azka-D split our skull. **You** have been swimming around in a tank for the last few years," he smiled and extended a hand. "They call me Glitch because my synapses haven't fired right since you've been gone."

"Since I've been gone?"

"Yep, remember the part where I said you've been swimming in a tank?" He looked curiously around the laboratory and focused on the blueprints. "Ya know… that crazy machine turned out to be a lot of trouble."

Ambrose was pacing. It was difficult to view himself as just a brain, but he was nothing if not scientifically minded and this, apparently, was the most logical way to view it. "Does this mean that someone is trying to rejoin it?"

"Rejoin what?"

"The brain?"

"Whose brain?"

"OUR BRAIN!"

"Actually," Glitch placed a finger thoughtfully to the side of his nose. "It's not exactly an 'us' or an 'our'. I mean, it's really just a 'me' with a serious case of selective amnesia that will hopefully be remedied soon. Fluffy has probably taken over the reinsertion process and is currently attempting to fuse the two halves back together. I suggest that we just go with it and see what I've lost and what you've experienced while you've been away."

"This is giving me a headache." Ambrose pushed his hands through his hair and clutched the sides of his head before a puzzled look drew one eyebrow down. "Who's Fluffy?"

"Haha, you want to know who Fluffy is," the counterpart called Glitch laughed, and the part of him that had been swimming was starting to understand why. "Actually, so do I… but I'm sure we'll find out. The answers always come eventually!"

Ambrose nodded. "They most certainly do."

Suddenly there was a flash, and the counterparts turned in unison to remember what they had forgotten.


	3. Reasoning and Reasons

_A/N: In this chapter, I've changed style a bit. I have memories within memories, so part of it is going to be in parenthesis for the thought change. It's also longer... nearly twice as long. I'm just having way too much fun writing this story. I hope you enjoy it. I must also apologize for the distinct lack of DG in this chapter, but she will be in the next one. Also, once again... I do not own any of the characters from Tin Man._

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**::FLASH::**

Ambrose turned with the part of his mind called Glitch, ready to view his memories. Everything in him that was objective prepared to stand silently by and simply watch.

Apparently, his mind had other ideas. This time, instead of viewing the memory as an observer, he lived the memory. And everything in him said that was how it should be. It was natural as breathing and the scene before might have been nothing more than his mind preparing him for this. He took his own advice and simply went with it, taking a deep breath and a step forward with his hand held tightly by someone much taller than he was.

_He felt a weight on his chest that was not eased by the smile of the beautiful woman staring down at him from an ornate throne. Any other time, he would have been excited to meet the Queen of the Realms… the highest ruler in the Outer Zone. The weight he felt had nothing to do with nerves and everything to do with sorrow. His parents were dead. He had seen it happen. He was still seeing it happen. _

_**{**They had taken a trip to Central City and it had been the strangest of incidents, really. He had been in the backseat of his father's car staring out the window, daydreaming of one day having the means to do more with his natural ability at engineering than just help his father keep that infernal vehicle rolling. The man refused to let robots near it. It had belonged to his grandfather and was a gift from the previous Queen when the old man retired from her personal guard. _

_Contrary to what his father always told him, there were more dreams in the world than simply growing up to join the Queen's military force. Besides, she had his brother watching her back. Maybe he could invent things or improve existing inventions for her. That was useful to a Queen, wasn't it? He found his brother's descriptions of the job terribly boring, standing around all day in a big palace … doing nothing but stand by doors and prepare for whatever was unlikely to jump out and try to attack her._

_And that was the last thought he had before someone bolted out in front of the car. His father swerved and tried to miss the fellow but immediately behind the pedestrian was a mounted enforcer, a Tin Man on horseback. Obviously the man was fleeing the law and the law was in pursuit. His father swerved again, panicked and hit the gas pedal instead of the break. The car flipped and there had been so much blood.**}** _

_That was the last thing Ambrose knew before awaking at the Palace a few days previously. And then he was standing by his brother, in front of the most beautiful woman he had ever laid eyes on except for his mother._

_Her eyes were green like emeralds and power radiated from her like beams of sunlight. There was something about her face, and her demeanor that was at once as hard and cold as the gems whose color her eyes resembled and at the same time as warm and comforting as a bowl of Muglug. An even greater sorrow filled his heart at his inability to… feel the respect this woman of light deserved. _

"_Your Majesty requested that I bring my brother to her," the tenor voice of Ambrose's brother was respectful, but something about it echoed the sorrow he felt. And it was odd to hear his brother speak with such formality. He almost expected his brother to refer to the Queen as 'doll' like he did their mother. He missed his mother._

"_I did, Seneca." Emerald eyes met large chocolate brown ones for a brief moment and she nodded, as though coming to a conclusion. Turning back to his brother she continued, "But first, I would like to offer my condolences. Your father was a loyal friend to my mother, and the examples he and his father set are still being aspired to by my officers. You are setting some wonderful examples yourself, especially by requesting to leave my service to care for your brother."_

_Ambrose's eyes flew to his brothers and Seneca gripped his hand tighter. "My Queen, Ambrose has not spoken since the accident. We are the last ones of our family as neither my father nor mother had siblings. I am the only one to care for him."_

_She looked thoughtfully between them both. "You have bragged to me in the past that this boy is highly advanced for his age. Pride in one's family is an admirable trait but I never thought I'd see an intellect of this strength shining from the eyes of one so young. I can see clearly that what you spoke was the complete truth and not touched with brotherly bias. What is his age?"_

"_He's nearing eleven annuals, Your Majesty." For a moment, Seneca lost his composure and grinned like a school boy. "And no, highness, it was no idle boast. He's going to be a great inventor someday!"_

"_I do not doubt you," she beamed at them both before a serious expression crept into her features that spoke of unquestionable command. "Ambrose, please come here."_

_He did not know much about court etiquette, but he knew to obey her. Instinctively, he did not want to let go of his brother's hand, but he did. Ambrose did not even look at his brother before letting go. It was the bravest moment of his life, approaching the woman made of light and stone. She sat forward on her throne and held her hands out to him, grasping his once he reached her. From the moment her fingers brushed his and she pulled him a step closer, he felt her light pouring into him. It swept away some of the horror from his mind, and sorrow from his soul and it was a moment before he realized she was talking to him._

"_Ambrose," her tone was gentle and her eyes were bright. When she spoke this time, she dropped the court formality, "would you like to come and live here with your brother. I've already discussed it with my husband and he agrees that we simply cannot do without him. Besides, I believe you would make a wonderful companion for my daughter. She's a few annuals older than you, but she desperately needs someone to study and practice her lessons with… someone who can keep her out of the clouds."_

_Seneca's voice murmured behind him with a tinge of amusement, "Don't you mean trees, Highness?"_

_She smiled at him and nodded in agreement before turning back to Ambrose. "What do you say, my dear?"_

_Ambrose did not reply. He could not think of anything to say. Tears were streaming down his face because the light from her that was filling him seemed to break something lose in his heart. She pressed her fingertips more firmly into his palms and glanced at his brother, silently asking that he come join them on the Dias._

"_You don't have to decide right away, Ambrose." She released one of his hands to take Seneca's. "Discuss it with your brother when you're feeling better and then let me know what the two of you decide."_

"_My Queen," Seneca inquired shakily, "what magic are you using on us?"_

"_I'm not doing anything," she replied. "If magic is working in you through me, it's because your hearts are not being allowed to feel grief. Do not wall up your hearts with pain and sorrow or you will never heal."_

**_::FLASH::_**

_There was a large willow tree growing by the small lake at the Northern Palace. It was the largest and oldest willow tree in all of the realms, and for that reason it was aptly named 'the great willow' or 'the ancient willow'. It stood over fifty feet high with its hanging branches growing out so far and so large that some of them came back down to creep across the ground or dip into the lake. Once past the hanging branches and curtains of leaves, a clearing would be discovered extending from the curtain to the very trunk. The branches were a canopy thick enough to offer shade in the heat of summer and to block all but the heaviest rain or strongest winds. It was the quintessential spot for children to play or hide in during almost any weather at any time of the year._

_Ambrose stood like an immovable statue in the center of the palace gardens staring in the distance at the tree. Something told him that nearly two annuals had passed but it didn't concern him. Warm and wonderful feelings enveloped him as he watched the curtain of leaves sway gently. The warm feeling lasted until a blur of chestnut colored hair streaming behind a girl in a pale yellow dress streaked past him crying, "Bet you can't catch me, Ambrose!"_

_He looked down at the box in his hands and took off after her. _

"_L.E," he cried. "Wait up. I want to show you something."_

_She continued to run as though she didn't hear him and it was difficult to keep up with her. He was at the age of being all limbs and no grace, so every few strides he'd trip over his own feet. It was especially frustrating with the box he carried because it was heavy and very breakable. Yet he tried, and he knew that he would try to keep up with her for the rest of his life._

_**{**He didn't know anything about being in love, but he knew the emotion of love lived within him. That emotion was the first thing he felt since the horror of witnessing the death of his parents. It was poured onto his heart with the shock of ice water the first time he had encountered those lavender eyes, when his brother had sent him up the ancient willow to fetch her. She had been reading a book, a romance of some sort, and he had startled her._

_L.E had been feisty at fourteen annuals, so when he startled her she kicked him and knocked him out of the tree without even putting her book down. Of course, she was also as kind as her mother for she had healed his broken leg with her magic upon realizing what she had done. That was the first time he had spoken since the accident. It started with two small words. 'Thank you'. Anxiety and guilt washed away from her face, she announced that he was to be the little brother she always wanted, and they went arm in arm back to the palace chatting animatedly. He decided to stay that day, much to the relief of his brother._

_No, he didn't know anything about being in love. He was too young. But he did know that she was his light. She gave him a reason to keep going. She was his best friend. When they grew up, they would inevitably give their hearts to someone else… but they would always have each other's childish secrets. And at their tender ages, that meant everything.**}**_

_He finally caught up with her at what they had started calling 'their tree' but he just knew it was hers and only tolerated his presence because she allowed him to be there. It was a place of magic… her magic. The wind would sweep through the leaves and sometimes, if he listened hard enough, he could hear it whispering its secrets in the branches. If he was with her, she would tell him what those secrets were._

_She was standing with her back to him, gazing wistfully across the still waters of the small lake like she was waiting for something to happen. Her hand, emanating a gentle white glow, was resting against the tree. The light pulsed from her and the tree soaked it in like water, glowing from root to leaf. No, Ambrose didn't know anything about being in love himself, but he was fairly certain the tree was in love with her because, according to his brother, you glowed when you were in love._

"_Oh Ambrose," she cried suddenly, spinning around in a happy circle, taking in her environment. "It's such a perfect day and I'm so happy you're outside instead of hunched over some stupid piece of metal."_

"_I don't hunch," he complained, flinging himself to the ground to lay on his front. "And it's not a stupid piece of metal."_

_He placed the box he carried on the ground next to him and gave it a tap. "It's a gift for you."_

_Her lavender eyes lit up as she threw herself down beside him, heedless of her pale yellow dress. Her nose was practically pressed against the box when she asked in a whisper, "What is it?"_

"_I don't know," he smiled mischievously. "You called it a stupid piece of metal."_

"_Ambrose!"_

"_Alright, alright," he opened the box. _

_She peered inside and stifled a scream when whatever it was seemed to peer back. He pulled out a device about two hands large with three lenses sticking out the side. She breathed a sigh of relief and felt silly for thinking the lenses were eyes._

"_What is it?"_

_His grin was still mischievous, but in a distracted sort of way as he studied his creation intently. L.E. sighed and settled back on her elbows, patiently waiting as he slid away from her and into his mind. There was no reaching him when he went to the land of all things that didn't exist yet. On the back was a pointed spike and he pushed it into the ground as his face grew serious. _

"_You might want to come over and stand behind me," he said suddenly in a detached voice as he turned a lens; glance up and around before adjusting a dial and another lens. "Disruption of the projection makes the tri-dimensional energy stored holographic time loop cease functioning."_

_She smiled and did as she was told with a look in her eyes that said she did not understand a word that he was saying. It was a common look for them both and they were comfortable not understanding each other because, somehow, they knew that one day understanding would come. He would talk about his inventions and ideas, she would talk about her dreams… and sometimes they would even discuss their lessons and future roles in the O.Z._

_And then he turned, seriousness replaced by a radiant, boyish smile as he flipped a small switch._

_This time she did scream as their canopied hideout was suddenly filled with people in formal dress dancing to a lively cantata. _

"_Just don't let your hand or skirt cross in front of the lenses," he warned. "I haven't been able to fix that particular glitch."_

"_You and your glitches, Ambrose." She step danced in place to the tune and smiled at him. "You can't fix the world, you know… but I love that you try. I also love your gift, glitches and all."_

_He nodded, "I thought it would make your dance practices more interesting. I may not have the romantic soul you possess but I understand boredom. I'd be bored as well if I had to learn to dance alone with an instructor and no music."_

"_When I'm Queen," she announced to no one in particular, "that will be the first thing I change." _

"_How about changing it now?" he bowed with a flourish and nearly fell over. Smiling anyway, carried away by the music, he grabbed her hands. "What do ya say, Princess? Wanna dance?"_

"_But Ambrose," she cried. "You can't even walk without tripping over yourself!"_

"_Come on, doll. Give me a chance!" he winked, knowing he sounded silly trying to imitate his brother but it always made her smile. "I might even surprise you."_

_And he did. He remembered how happy she was that afternoon and how he learned that he really could dance. He remembered how he didn't fall over his own limbs after that day, learning the grace of movement with each practice that followed. He also remembered how much trouble they were in upon returning to the palace. She had been so carried away by her gift that she grabbed both his hands at the end of a waltz and spun them around in dizzying circles… until they fell laughing off the edge of the bank into the lake._


	4. Where You'll Find Me

_**A/N: First off, I wanted to thank everyone for the amazing reviews. I grinned for nearly an hour when Hobbit said I should write for the series and I'm getting to where I always look forward to thoughts from Danibat and CattyRose... my loyal readers! I have loyal readers. That makes me happy like tiny bubbles. Danibat, in the future, if something confuses you tell me where in your review so I know what to fix. I apologize sincerely for not having a beta yet and I really want this story to be as amazing as I can possibly make it. Unfortunately, the only times I have to work on it at the moment are late at night and my brain gets fuzzy. To everyone else, I hope you're enjoying it even if you're not reviewing and as always, I do not own anything. In fact, I believe that the plot bunnies own me.**_

_**So without further adieu, I give you DG.  
**_

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In spite of the attempts to bring light to Azkadellia's castle… actually more of a fortress … it retained a dark, dingy quality that seemed to shun the light. Evil clung persistently to the walls, determined to remind them at every turn of what happened there. Az said that she would rather have the place torn down as soon as the Northern Islands finished thawing. There had been talk of moving to the palace at Finaqua until that end was achieved, but it lacked medical facilities.

DG wandered aimlessly through the halls in the medical wing as dark thoughts invaded her mind. It had been three hours since she had said goodbye. They had promised to let her in when Raw began his part in the healing of her closest friend… her Ambrose. With the recall of her childhood, thinking of him as Ambrose instead of Glitch was easier for her than it seemed to be for Cain and Raw. It depended on how she thought about him. Past or future he was always Ambrose in her mind, but for the present he was Glitch because it was what he was used to answering to.

He really wasn't all that different without half his brain, but with the hopeful return of his memories and synaptic functions, she worried herself sick about what it would mean for their friendship.

Would the return of his memories spark an irrational need to view her as the child she had been? Would he remember her, or anything, at all? Would he still be her Ambrose?

_Don't think things like that. He'll always be your Ambrose._

It had been over three hours and she wondered what was taking them so long. She was supposed to be there in case Raw needed her magic and she was suppose to be there because Glitch asked her to be. As her feet carried her from one end of the hall to the other, she couldn't help but wonder which room had been used for his previous procedure and the walls began to close in around her, the shadows whispering of other evil deeds committed within the dark cells she passed. Ghosts wandered beside her and every once in a while she would place her hands on a particular door and let white light wash over it until she felt the presence leave.

As she released yet another tortured spirit from the dark spell that kept it within the halls she paced, she whispered, "Be at peace."

"Princess," a voice spoke just behind her; unfamiliar and cold. Azkadelia's medicos… alchemists… robots programmed to carry out her possessor's twisted human experiments. Even with the reprogramming, they gave DG the creeps. Unlike her robotic 'parental units' (as she called them to her co-workers in Kansas, not knowing how accurate that description was) there was something very wrong about these beings. But she didn't take the time to contemplate what.

"It's time?" Her voice was high pitched with anxiety and came out in an undignified squeak. At his nod, she brushed past him and entered the operating room.

Her breath caught in her chest at seeing him on the operating table, eyes closed with his long black lashes resting, unmoving on his cheek. The wild curly hair was gone and the zipper gaped open. She had the unnerving thought that she'd never breathe again if his chest didn't rise soon.

"We're going to take him out of stasis now, Princess," that cold voice spoke again. "The Viewer is ready."

_Stasis. They had him in a stasis field… put his life on pause… breathe DG._

But she couldn't… not until she saw his chest rise… it hurt so bad to see him so still. People believed that he moved so much, talked so much, because he was a headcase. They assumed, because he didn't know who he was, that he also didn't know when to shut up and sit still. In truth, he was always like that… especially around people he knew. He would chatter with her endlessly when she was a girl because she had been mechanically inclined and was the only person who even remotely understood what he was talking about. As adviser, he knew when to shut up but he never knew when to be still and was always pacing, clicking his pen, or drumming his fingers on the table.

Raw solemnly approached his head and, with great care, gently grasped each side with his leather gloved hands.

The strange medico went to the wall on the other side of the operating table and flipped a switch, there was a blue flash across Ambrose's body that reminded her of a cheep special effect in a B-rated Frankenstein movie, and those long lashes twitched ever so slightly. The movement of his chest was even less noticeable but she could reach out with her magic and feel life in him again, feel him breathing.

_Why does this hurt so badly?_

She wanted to cry. Already, she missed his hair.

"_I wonder if they're gonna shave my head?" Glitch smiled down at her with that perpetual look of curiosity on his face. It was a look of 'what if' that he had since she was little and only completely lost when it was replaced by a look of 'what now'._

_Cain, DG and Glitch had spent the day with Jeb, thanking the people involved in the resistance and asking for volunteers to stay. If Az was serious in her plan to rip the place down, there were more than enough people that would be more than happy to see that end… personally. And so they spent the day with the leaders, arranging for explosives already collected by the resisters to be brought in and looking over demolition plans that had been made years ago in hopeful anticipation._

_Afterward, they gathered by Jeb's fire and someone a few tents away began to play a guitar as other instruments around the camp joined in and picked out a tune. Many people jumped up and began to dance merrily around fires and trees, and DG watched them with tears in her eyes._

"_Why the tears?" Cain was staring at her in concern. "This is a good thing, Kid. They've celebrated like this every night since the witch melted."_

"_These are happy tears, Mr. Cain." She looked from him to Glitch, who was watching one of the few couples with a wistful expression on his face. On impulse, she grabbed his arm and practically bounced to her feet. "Come on, Glitch. We have things to celebrate, too."_

_He looked at her like she had a zipper going down the center of her skull. "You want to dance with me?"_

_She nodded and tugged on his arm with a mischievous smirk on her lips. "Of course I do. I have to see this rhythm of yours for myself."_

_With a sideways glare at Cain, he allowed himself to be pulled to his feet and they danced until the moons were overhead, using the occasional ballad to quietly discuss his upcoming surgery or her concerns for the people surrounding them. Many of them no longer had homes or families to return to and she had been discussing with Az the possibility of allowing them to remain there… giving them the land where so much evil occurred and making something wonderful out of it._

"_I wouldn't worry about it, Glitch," she murmured, resting her head against his chest and closing her eyes as someone began to sing a very old song about rainbows and dreams. "If you have to lose your hair to get your marbles back it's a small sacrifice."_

_And the song continued as they danced and he softly sang along…_

"_Someday I'll wish upon a star  
And wake up where the clouds are far  
Behind me.  
Where troubles melt like lemon drops  
Away above the chimney tops  
That's where you'll find me."_

Blinking back tears, she focused on her friend lying unconscious before her. Lost in thought, she hadn't noticed that Raw had begun the process of physical healing and she stared in awe as that damned zipper began to peel off as the scalp beneath fused together. Rapid eye movement began about the same time that his hair suddenly started to grow back in and she was momentarily in thankful awe of Raw's abilities as a healer before her thoughts wandered again.

She wondered if his brain was fusing back together along with his cranium. She wondered if he was dreaming about anything now that the familiar signs of dreaming had begun. She wondered if those dreams were memories.

She wondered if he would remember that night in the resister's camp. Certainly he wouldn't remember it like she did, feeling his heart beat so fast beneath her fingers as he held her hand to his chest and spun her in circles until she was so dizzy he had to hold her up. He held her so close and he had been so warm that she trembled when he finally released her… so he had chivalrously given her his tattered frock coat to ease the chill.

Raw and Cain did little things like that for her as well, but it always meant more when he did it. She didn't know why, but it always had. Az would be so proud when their mother gave her some courtly chore to accomplish, like greeting an important visitor or overseeing an area of preparation for a small gathering of dignitaries. Nothing made DG more proud than when Ambrose would come find her down by the giant tree next to the smallest of the lakes surrounding the palace in the Northern Islands. He would climb the tree to the branch she had claimed as her own just to ask what she thought about an idea he had for some new invention.

Thinking back, he had done the same thing with Az. It was probably something he had cooked up with her mother, honing the natural abilities of the Princesses. She would often come across Ambrose quietly discussing politics and strategy with Azkadellia, asking her how she felt about certain issues and gently nudging her into proper conclusions about issues the territories faced.

Without warning, she realized that she was suddenly, inexplicably, and nauseatingly jealous of her sister and her own voice as a child echoed in her head…

_My Ambrose_


End file.
